Various types of cleaning members which can trap dirt, dust, refuse and the like have been known in the past, and methods of producing these various types of cleaning members have been actively studied from various viewpoints in recent years.
For example, in PTL 1, there is proposed a method for production of a cleaning-use article provided with a step of overlaying a belt-shaped inside fiber layer which is comprised of a continuous fiber bundle with a belt-shaped sheet member and partially joining the two to form a first web, similarly forming a second web, overlaying these first and second webs and partially fastening them, then overlaying and fastening belt-shaped outside fiber layers which are comprised of continuous fiber bundles on the inside fiber layer sides of the first and second webs, a step of cutting the laminate obtained in the above step into predetermined lengths, and a step of treating the fiber layer parts of the cut laminate with compressed air to make the fiber bundles open, and in this method for production of a cleaning-use article, the belt-shaped inside fiber layers and outside fiber layers are respectively comprised of fiber bundles which are in turn comprised of crimped fibers bent in zigzag shapes, the difference in height between the alternating peaks and valleys in the crimped fibers being 0.1 to 0.7 mm, and, in the step of opening the fiber bundles, the fiber bundles of the cut laminate are raised so that the entire circumference of the cleaning-use article is covered by the tips of the bristles comprised of fibers of the fiber bundles.
Further, in PTL 2 for example, there is proposed a method for production of a cleaning-use article comprising producing a first web having a first fiber layer comprised of a continuous fiber bundle and having a first belt-shaped member, the two side sections of the first belt-shaped member in the lengthwise direction being folded and fastened, the first fiber layer being overlaid and fastened to the outer surface side of the first belt-shaped member, and a second web having a second fiber layer comprised of a continuous fiber bundle and having a second belt-shaped member, the two side sections of second belt-shaped member in the lengthwise direction being folded and fastened, the second fiber layer being overlaid and fastened to the outer surface side of the second belt-shaped member, overlaying and joining the produced first web and second web, then respectively overlaying and fastening a third fiber layer and fourth fiber layer comprised of continuous fiber bundles on the first fiber layer and the second fiber layer to form a laminate, and cutting the formed laminate to obtain individual cleaning-use articles, the method for production of a cleaning-use article having a step of intermittently forming, in the first belt-shaped member and the second belt-shaped member respectively, cutting guide lines across entire regions in the widthwise directions of the first belt-shaped member and the second belt-shaped member, so that there are formed in the first belt-shaped member and the second belt-shaped member a center section which is sandwiched between a pair of cutting guide lines and outer sections which are connected to the center section through the cutting guide lines, a step of joining the first fiber layer and the second fiber layer to the first belt-shaped member and the second belt-shaped member after formation of the cutting guide lines by center continuous seal lines across entire regions in the widthwise directions of the first fiber layer and the second fiber layer so as to produce the first web and the second web, a step of overlaying the first web and the second web and joining them by discontinuous side seals across the widthwise directions of the first fiber layer and the second fiber layer, a step of further overlaying and fastening a third fiber layer and a fourth fiber layer on the first fiber layer of the first web and the second fiber layer on the second web to form the laminate, a step of cutting off the outer sections located at both sides of the center sections, from the cut first belt-shaped member and second belt-shaped member, respectively, after cutting of the laminate, while leaving the center sections sandwiched by the pairs of cutting guide lines, and a step of opening the cut first to fourth fiber layers, after cutting of the laminate, to form random piles in three dimensions.
Also, for example, in PTL 3, there is provided a method for production of a cleaning-use article as set forth in claim 1, the method for production of a cleaning-use article comprising laminating four webs of long-shaped fiber layers comprised of fiber bundles oriented in a single direction, two webs of long-shaped scraping sheets, and two webs of long continuous substrate sheets in the order: fiber layer web, scraping sheet web, fiber layer web, two substrate sheet webs, fiber layer web, scraping sheet web and fiber layer web, bonding the webs at predetermined intervals across the widthwise direction to prepare a cleaning-use article web, and then cutting the cleaning-use article web between the bonded sections of the fiber layer webs, the substrate sheet webs and the scraping sheet webs across the widthwise direction to obtain a plurality of the cleaning-use articles.